IPL 2021 Auction: Sunrisers Hyderabad will enter the auction with a purse of 10.75 crores and they can add more depth to their settled squad.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) managed to reach the playoffs in last year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and before the player’s auction 2021, they retained their main set of players. Of all eight franchises, SRH released the lowest number of individuals – five. Australian pacer Billy Stanlake and West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen were among the five players SRH released before the player auction to be held in Chennai on 18 February. SRH will see its remaining three sets filled with purses for 10.75 crores. The Hyderabad-based franchise covers almost all the bases and will add more depth to their settled squad before the 14th edition of the franchise-based Twenty20 tournament.
Here’s a look at the players SRH can target in the auction:
Openers
SRH captain David Warner and Johnny Bairstow are likely to remain at the top of the order. They also have Wriddhiman Saha and Kane Williamson who can start the innings in case of any injury. The 2016 IPL champions are unlikely to bid for any opener.
Middle-order
The likes of Williamson, Manish Pandey and Vijay Shankar balance the SRH middle order. Mitchell Marsh, who missed a major part of last season due to injury, impressed one and all in the Big Bash League earlier this year and will continue to perform well in the IPL.
SRH can prepare Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Azharuddin to take the bowlers in the middle overs. Azharuddin became the buzz of the city after scoring a century in 37 balls in Syed Mushtaq Ali.
Spinners
World No.1 T20I bowler Rashid Khan will lead the spin department for SRH. If Shah Rukh wants to go with two spinners, Rashid will also have Shahbaz Nadeem. However, to bolster his batting, Hyderabad could look into the role of Pawan Negi, who can bowl left-arm spin and, if the innings needs to be finished, hit a long ball.
Fast bowlers
T. in the absence of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. Natarajan and Sandeep Sharma stood with the ball for SRH last season. Bhubaneswar is fit and will be expected to lead the youth attack of Hyderabad in the upcoming edition of the IPL. SRH also has the likes of Khalil Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, and Jason Holder in the playing XI in the event of injury.
